A Little Problem
by pingo1387
Summary: Something strange happens to Chopper after an experiment by the Navy. What can the crew do to get their doctor back to normal? 4
1. Kidnapped! Usopp's Rescue Mission!

**Takes place between the Davy Back Fight and Water 7**

* * *

Nami thanked the villager who had helped them and turned back to the crew. "You heard him," she said. "This island's only got an hour of Log, so if you wanna do something here, do it quick! Also—" she pointed to Luffy, Zoro, and Robin. "Since there's a small Navy base here, you three be careful."

"Aye-aye, sir!" Sanji exclaimed. He left the ship, declaring that he would go out for cooking supplies.

"I'll stay here," Zoro muttered. He leaned against the railing and promptly fell asleep.

"Adventure!" Luffy yelled, ignoring Nami and jumping off of the ship with Usopp and Chopper.

"Didn't you listen to me!?" Nami yelled.

"I'll stay here," Robin said calmly.

"Okay," Nami said, relieved. "I think I'll stay here too . . . I hope that idiot doesn't get in trouble."

* * *

"Hello?" Chopper called nervously. "Luffy? Usopp?"

He had gotten separated from the two at some point and found himself on the edge of the woods.

"They'll be fine," he said to himself. Yawning, he decided to take a nap and so leaned against a tree, closing his eyes.

Not long after that, two Marines came along the edge of the woods.

"They said anything will do, right?" said one.

"Yeah . . ." said the other. Pointing to Chopper, he said "How about that raccoon dog?"

"It's wearing a hat and pants," the first one said. "It probably belongs to someone."

"No one's here," the second one countered. He knelt and picked up Chopper; the little reindeer didn't wake. "C'mon, let's take it back and see if they can get good results."

* * *

"Oh, this is good!" said the doctor as he was handed the sleeping Chopper. "Good work, you two!"

The two Marines saluted and left. The doctor brought Chopper over to a table and laid him down.

"What do you think?" he said to the other doctor in the room.

"I think it will work fine," said the second doctor.

At this point, Chopper sleepily opened his eyes. He looked around, alarmed; he saw the doctors standing above him and started screaming.

"It's awake!" yelled the second doctor. The first doctor seized Chopper, preventing the little reindeer from moving. Chopper was too scared to change size.

The next thing he knew, there was a prick in his arm; he involuntarily relaxed and his eyes drooped.

"Sedative," he heard one of the doctors say as he fell unconscious.

* * *

"Luffy!" Usopp yelled, charging back to his friend.

"What?" Luffy asked, alarmed.

"Bad news!"

"What is it!?"

"Let's go back to the ship first! We need to tell everyone!"

"Tell them what!?"

Usopp was already running to the ship. Luffy shrugged and followed him.

Along the way, they spotted Sanji coming out of a store with several bags on one arm.

"Oh, you two," he said. "What's wrong?"

"Getbacktotheshipnowbigtrouble!" Usopp yelled as he ran past Sanji.

"Idunnowhat'shappeningbutit'sprobablybad!" Luffy yelled as he ran past Sanji.

Sanji scratched his head, shrugged, and ran after the two.

* * *

"What is going on?" Nami demanded as the three leapt onto deck, panting. Robin and Zoro looked up, interested.

"Yeah, you two," Sanji said. "What's going on?"

Luffy looked at Usopp. "Usopp, what's the bad news?"

"Where's Chopper?" Zoro asked, noting the little reindeer's absence.

"That's the bad news!" Usopp exclaimed. "I saw Chopper getting kidnapped! He's in the Navy base!"

"What!?" Luffy yelled. "That's bad!"

"Why the hell didn't you stop them!?" Sanji yelled.

"By the time I saw them, they were already going inside!"

"Well, that's no problem," Zoro said, placing a hand on his swords. "I'll bust in there and take him back."

"No!" Nami yelled. "Listen, obviously we're going to get him back, but Luffy, Zoro, and Robin can't go! Those three have bounties!"

"So?" Sanji demanded.

"So we need someone who can steal a uniform without being recognized," Nami explained patiently. "This means that it's me, you, or Usopp."

"This is no job for a lady!" Sanji exclaimed. "Usopp, let's do rock-paper-scissors."

Usopp whimpered. "B-Best two out of three goes."

Even though he tried very hard to lose, Usopp ended up winning two games.

"Dammit!" he exclaimed.

"Good luck," Sanji said, slapping him on the back. "Make us proud!"

Usopp mumbled something and jumped off the ship, running for the base.

* * *

"Why isn't it working?" demanded one of the doctors impatiently.

"I only injected him ten minutes ago," the second doctor said. "This new formula is supposed to be permanent, but it takes a while to completely set in."

"And in the meantime . . . ?"

"We wait."

A soldier peeked into the area. "Excuse me," he said brusquely, "I've just been told to inform you that the project has been cancelled by the commodore."

"What?" demanded the first doctor.

"But we already injected this raccoon dog with the formula!" exclaimed the second doctor, gesturing to the unconscious Chopper.

"That's not my problem!" said the soldier snappishly. "If you'll excuse me, I have duties elsewhere."

He marched off.

"Now what?" said the first doctor, staring at Chopper.

"I suppose we could run other tests on it," suggested the second. "I'll get the acid."

Another soldier came around the corner into the area. "Excuse m-me, doctors!" he exclaimed.

"We know the project was cancelled," interrupted one of the doctors.

"R-Right," said the Marine, trembling slightly. "Well, I've been ordered to take the reindeer elsewhere. If I may?"

Without waiting for an answer, he approached the table and scooped up Chopper, after which he strode out of the room, breaking into a run once he was out of sight.

If Chopper had been conscious, he would have noticed that the Marine had had an unusually long nose.

* * *

Finally back at the ship, still wearing the Marine uniform, Usopp brought Chopper into the kitchen and laid him on the couch. A minute later, Chopper's eyes fluttered and slowly opened. He looked around, confused, and saw the crew standing over him.

"What's going on?" he said sleepily. "Usopp, why are you a Marine?"

Usopp laughed. "This is just a disguise! I'll never be a real Marine, Chopper! Anyway, are you okay?"

Chopper shook his head. "Um . . . oh, right! I got kidnapped!" he said with alarm. "And they put me on a table and knocked me out . . ."

"Calm down," Nami said gently.

Chopper looked up at them with tears in his eyes. "T-Thanks for saving me," he said, crying.

"It was nothing!" Usopp exclaimed. "Only I, Usopp-_sama_, was brave enough to volunteer for the task!"

"Really?" Chopper asked.

"More importantly," Robin said, "I wonder if they did anything to doctor-_san_ while he was unconscious?"

The others fell silent.

"I don't feel any different," Chopper said nervously.

"We can worry about that later," Nami interrupted.

"Yeah!" Luffy said. "Even if something happens, Chopper, you can fix it!"

Chopper nodded.

"Get some sleep," Sanji said, patting the little reindeer's head. "Come outside when you're rested up."

Chopper nodded again and lay down, closing his eyes. He was asleep within seconds.

"That's so cute," Nami said quietly.

"Yeah, whatever," Zoro said, stretching. "I think I'll take a nap too."

The crew, minus Chopper, left the kitchen.

* * *

The crew had set sail over an hour ago. Usopp had tossed the Marine uniform carelessly onto the island as they left. He had just gone into the kitchen to check on Chopper, who had not come out yet.

"Bad news! Bad news!"

Everyone looked at Usopp, who was running from the kitchen.

"What now?" Nami said. "Giant flying monkeys are attacking?"

"An army of snakes has invaded?" Zoro suggested.

"Is it those moles again?" Luffy asked eagerly. "I like that story!"

"No, I'm serious!" Usopp yelled. "It's actually really bad news!"

"Spit it out," Sanji said.

Usopp took a deep breath. "Chopper's disappeared!"

* * *

**Come back Sunday for a new chapter :D**


	2. Chopper's Gone? How to Fix the Problem?

"See!?" Usopp cried, pointing to the empty couch. "He's gone!"

The crew had gathered in the kitchen to look for Chopper.

Zoro yanked back the blanket and looked underneath. "Well, he's not there," he said.

Nami hit him. "We figured that out _without_ lifting the blanket!"

"Do you have any better ideas!?" he demanded.

Robin closed her eyes and made an X with her arms. "I don't see Doctor-_san_ anywhere on the ship," she said after a minute. "Both the rowboats are here, so he couldn't have left."

"Wait, I've got it," Zoro said. "Two guys thought that Chopper was the missing prince of their kingdom, so they snuck onboard and stole him away. What do you think about that, Nami?"

Nami hit him.

"That's highly unlikely," Robin said. "To start with, we would have seen if anyone left or entered this room."

"So he's still in here?" Luffy asked confusedly.

"Hey, I figured it out!" Usopp exclaimed. "This is like what happened last time! And if that's the case, all we have to do is spray flour around the room!"

Sanji rolled his eyes. "Usopp, I told you before, that's a waste of good flour. Besides, he'd still be on the couch if that were the case, or he would have said something by now."

"Oh, good point," Usopp muttered.

"Search the room!" Luffy declared. "Chopper's gotta still be in here, so let's find him!"

* * *

Chopper had been sleeping soundly until a violent gust yanked him off the couch. He slammed into the wall—which thankfully didn't hurt too much—and slid to the floor, dazed. He shook his head to clear it and looked around.

"Do you have any better ideas!?"

At this loud voice, Chopper winced and covered his ears. That had been Zoro speaking, but why were his words so booming?

At a closer look, Chopper realized that everything was much, _much_ larger than usual. The table in the kitchen, though far away, was like a mountain; the couch was massive; and his crewmates gathered around the couch towered above him. Robin had her arms crossed, and after a second Chopper heard her say loud and clear "I don't see Doctor-_san_ anywhere on the ship. Both the rowboats are here, so he couldn't have left."

I shrunk!? Chopper thought to himself. He stood and said "Guys, I'm down here!"

No response. Chopper repeated the words in a yell, but no one seemed to hear him. He started running towards them, hoping to get their attention.

"Search the room!" Luffy declared as Chopper ran. "Chopper's gotta still be in here, so let's find him!"

The crew began moving around the room, searching in every place, however unlikely, for their missing doctor. Usopp moved in the tiny reindeer's direction and Chopper leapt out of the way, dodging Usopp's boots.

"Wait!" he exclaimed. He ran to Usopp, who had stopped to crouch by the rudder control. Chopper climbed up Usopp's shoe and started to shimmy up his pants leg.

Usopp stood and started to twitch.

"What're you doing?" Zoro asked, frowning.

"Eep! I-It's not my fault!" Usopp said, twitching. "I think a bug got in my pants!"

Luffy laughed.

Usopp started swatting at his leg, trying to squish what he thought was a bug. Thankfully, he missed Chopper, who frantically climbed faster and made it up to Usopp's midsection.

"N-Now it's on my stomach!" Usopp yelled, giggling. He swatted at his midsection while Chopper determinedly climbed up.

Soon Chopper poked his tiny head out of Usopp's overalls and pulled himself up the shoulder strap. He straightened himself up, stood, and shouted "USOPP!"

Usopp nearly fell over. "I heard him!"

The others looked at him.

"I heard Chopper!" Usopp exclaimed. "He said my name!"

"Usopp!" Chopper exclaimed. "I'm on your shoulder!"

Usopp frowned. "On my . . . shoulder?"

He looked to the side and held out his hand; Chopper scrambled into it and Usopp held the miniature reindeer up to eye level.

"What—the—hell!?" he yelled.

"Usopp!" Chopper exclaimed happily.

The others crowded around Usopp and Chopper.

Luffy laughed. "Hey, it's a bug that looks like Chopper!"

"I'm not a bug!" Chopper shouted. "I'm a reindeer!"

"Chopper!?" Nami cried. "What on earth _happened_ to you!?"

"I dunno!" Chopper yelled. "I was sleeping and next thing I knew I was thrown against a wall!"

"Thrown against a—hey, moss-head, that was _your_ fault!" Sanji yelled.

"How could I _possibly_ have known!?" Zoro yelled back.

Chopper winced and covered his ears.

"Perhaps we should lower our volume?" Robin suggested lightly. "I think that Doctor-_san_ is being affected by our shouting."

Zoro and Sanji quietly apologized to Chopper.

"Come to think of it . . ." Usopp said. "When I went in the base, the doctors said something about a project. You think they did this to you, Chopper?"

"Possibly," Chopper agreed, speaking only slightly above his normal tone. "They knocked me out, so maybe they did something when I was unconscious, like Robin said earlier."

"It's pretty cool that your clothes shrank too," Luffy said, laughing.

"Yeah, that is weird," Chopper agreed, feeling his hat and looking at his shorts. "Anyway, if I can examine a blood sample from myself—"

He paused.

"I'm too small," Chopper exclaimed. "I can't get a sample from myself without risk of serious injury! And I can't look in the microscope properly!"

He sat down on Usopp's hand and started to cry.

"Hey, don't cry!" Usopp said soothingly, patting Chopper's tiny head with one finger. "We'll figure out a way to get you back to normal!"

"Really?" Chopper asked, sniffling.

"Yeah!" Luffy said loudly. Nami glared at him and he repeated it in a quieter voice. "We'll do it, Chopper, don't worry!"

Chopper smiled and nodded. "Okay!"

"Now, how do we go about doing it?" Robin asked thoughtfully.

The others were silent.

* * *

**So Chopper is about a centimeter tall, for anyone wondering.**


	3. Solution Discovered! To the Next Island!

**I suck so much I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I haven't updated this for more than a month I'm sorry**

* * *

"Wait," Chopper said suddenly. "I may have overreacted. If I turn big—" he changed into Heavy Point. "—This should be easier for getting a blood sample, at least."

"That was weird," Usopp muttered. "I _felt_ you getting heavier. Now you're like . . . four times bigger."

"Yeah," Chopper said happily.

"Uh, Chopper?" Sanji said. "No offense, but it looks like you could barely lift the needle, much less draw your own blood."

Chopper paused. He then turned to Robin and said hopefully "Robin, can you help?"

"Certainly," Robin said, "but I've never drawn blood before."

"I can draw blood!" Luffy exclaimed.

The others stared at him. He grinned proudly.

"_You_ . . . can draw blood," Zoro said in a flat, disbelieving tone.

"Yeah, it's really easy!" Luffy told him. "I just need paper and a red marker!"

The others sighed.

"Luffy, that's _not_ what we're talking about," Nami said. "It's a different kind of 'draw'."

"Oh."

"Anyway, Robin," Chopper said, looking up at her, "we have some books in the storage room on medical procedures, and if we can find the smallest needle I have, we should be good to go."

"Very well," Robin agreed. "Long-Nose-_kun_, if I may?"

Usopp put his hand next to hers and let Chopper climb onto Robin's. She carried the tiny reindeer out of the kitchen, heading down to the storage room. After a moment the rest followed.

"Okay, there should be a book called Medical Procedures somewhere," Chopper said. Robin nodded and gently set him down on the desk, going to look through the piles of books and encyclopedia volumes.

"Let's see . . ." she murmured to herself as the others entered. "Medical Dictionary . . . Supernatural Beings (that looks interesting) . . . Mycolopedia . . . ah, here we are . . ."

She pulled out the thick book and placed it on the desk. "Give me a minute, Doctor-_san_," she said, flipping through to the index and then through the pages. After reading the page she had landed on, she turned to Chopper and asked him where the needles were. Chopper told her and she found the smallest one. She also found antibacterial wipes and carefully wiped her hands with one, as well as rubbing a small part of Chopper's arm with the corner.

"Do you need a local anesthetic?" Robin asked calmly, checking over the needle.

"No, I'll be fine," Chopper said bravely. Robin smiled, knelt next to him, and carefully took his left arm. With one finger she pressed gently on his arm, found a vein, and as carefully as possible, stuck the needle in no more than two millimeters. She drew back the top for less than a second and then slowly withdrew the needle. Chopper pressed on his arm to stop the bleeding and then instructed Robin on how to place the sample on the slide for examination.

* * *

After perhaps five or ten minutes of inspecting the sample, Robin described what she saw and made a detailed sketch of it. Per Chopper's instructions, she and the rest of the crew began flipping through the books, looking for images of what had appeared under the lens.

"Found something," Zoro said at last. The others abandoned their books and went over to him; he showed them the picture.

"That's it!" Chopper yelled. "Zoro, can you put the book on the desk with that page open?"

Zoro shrugged and did what he asked; Chopper climbed up onto the page and began reading. Robin stood over his shoulder—really, over all of him—and read as well.

"I got it!" Chopper exclaimed. "Wow, I think using this is illegal . . . I studied this with Doctorine a while ago."

"Are you saying something?" Nami asked.

Chopper sighed. "Never mind!" He shouted. "Anyway, for every agent there's a counteragent! I think I can find something—Robin, will you please pass me Mycolopedia?"

Robin passed him the book and flipped to the index for him. He skimmed the contents, muttered to himself "I still don't know why that's in here," and, finding what he was looking for, told Robin which page to turn to.

"This is it, then?" Usopp said, looking at the page.

"Yeah," Chopper said, speaking loudly to make his tiny voice heard. "This mushroom is called Mokutan." He pointed to the picture, which showed a mushroom with a large, flat cap and a thin stem; it was black as charcoal. "If we can find this mushroom and extract the necessary parts, I should be able to get back to normal!"

"Are you sure it won't send you into a coma?" Nami said, glancing at Zoro.

"What're you looking at me for?" He muttered.

"I'm sure," Chopper said. "According to this it's not very common, but hopefully we can find one."

"Well, we _are_ on the Grand Line," Sanji said. "I wouldn't be surprised if we found one on the next island we visit. Speaking of which, Nami-_swan_, how much farther do we have to go?"

"Tomorrow," Nami said. "We'll reach the next island by then."

"Are we gonna get Merry fixed there?" Luffy asked hopefully.

"If we can find a shipwright, yeah," Usopp said. "Chopper, we'll look for that mushroom on the next island!"

"Okay!" Chopper said happily.

* * *

**"Mycolopedia" is a portmanteau of the words "mycology" and "encyclopedia". In other words, it's a mushroom encyclopedia.**

**To Lew, Meta, and Zan:**

**Yes. You are correct. Yes, both of them are the same ones. You win.**


End file.
